We are excited to share an important investment in the continued growth and quality of IFS training. Dr. Cat Araya (they/all), a Level 3-trained therapist and former counseling professor, has joined the IFS Institute as our new Curriculum Lead Specialist. Cat brings a wealth of clinical, educational, and curriculum development experience to this role and partners with trainers to strengthen areas such as learning objectives, accessibility, content flow, experiential learning, and overall curriculum design. Cat also serves on IFSI’s DEI Committee, bringing an important perspective to curriculum development and other Institute initiatives.
Cat’s first major project has been partnering with Lead Trainers Cece Sykes and Fran Booth on the newly redesigned Trauma and Complex Systems Level 2. Developed from the ground up, this training is designed to equip clinicians to apply IFS when working with some of the most complex clinical presentations and systems. This new experiential curriculum incorporates work with the body, legacy burdens, and integration of the model across complex clinical applications. We ran our first pilot in July 2026 and will run a second pilot in November. Feedback and learning from both pilots will help us continue refining the curriculum before its broader rollout.
In 2027, we plan to offer six L2 Trauma and Complex Systems trainings across North America, with the goal of piloting the program internationally in 2028. This represents the beginning of a larger curriculum development effort. Cat will work collaboratively with trainers to review and update our other Level 2 programs, develop and strengthen training manuals, incorporate current research and best practices, and create greater consistency in the quality and structure of our curricula while preserving the unique expertise and experiential teaching that trainers bring to each program.
As IFS continues to grow globally, we want our curriculum to grow with it. Our goal is to steward the integrity of the IFS model while ensuring our trainings remain rigorous, accessible, relevant, and responsive to the evolving needs of clinicians and the communities they serve. We are thrilled to have Cat helping lead this next chapter and deeply appreciate our partnership with the trainer community who help strengthen and evolve our programs.